One of the horror genre's "most widely read critics" (Rue Morgue # 68), "an accomplished film journalist" (Comic Buyer's Guide #1535), and the award-winning author of Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002), John Kenneth Muir, presents his blog on film, television and nostalgia, named one of the Top 100 Film Studies Blog on the Net.

Here, Space Ghost must rescue Jann and Jace from
planet Cetia 3, which the Toymaker has miniaturized and brought aboard his
spaceship.

A
tale clearly in the mode of a Batman story -- with Space Ghost as the caped
crusader and Jan and Jace as Robin stand-ins -- “Microworld” is so science-free
as so as to be absurd.

A
spaceship’s hull, for instance, is peeled back like a sardine can, at one
point, and there is no worry about explosive decompression.

Later
an inhabited planet grows back to full size after being held on a spaceship.

How was it kept warm without a star to
nurture it? Is it returned to the correct orbit?

I understand that this is a children’s show,
but these stories are more accurately fantasy than science fiction. The universe of Space Stars does not seem
governed by any physical laws we would recognize.

The
Teen Force story this week is called “Nebulon.” After traveling through Black
Hole X, the teen teeam investigates a monster, Nebulon, apparently attacking Uglor’s
home planet. Made entirely from “electrical
energy,” Nebulon looks like a big white ghost. He has actually been created by
Uglor, and used as a ruse to trap the Teen Force.

Again,
science is not the friend of the Space Stars. The heroes ride around, their
skin exposed to space, on their space cycles. These cycles have no sealed
cockpits, and the heroes don’t wear protective suits. I admit I find this incredibly
distracting. Even “non” super-beings,
like Jan and Jace seem to travel through space unprotected, and yet able to
breathe.

My
favorite segment of Space Stars -- The Herculoids -- star in “The Firebird” this
week. As dawn breaks on Quasar, a terrible force is unleashed by a
volcano.A great firebird emerges from
it.

If memory serves, I think this was actually a plot
from an episode of Hanna Barbera’sGodzilla (1978), but no matter. The
Herculoids eventually learn that the Firebird was merely protecting its baby
egg. The family learns “an important
lesson” from this encounter; that “no
animal is wholly evil.”

Because
this story is set on an alien world, and not in space, it gets a lot more
suspension of disbelief, and at least it possesses a thematic point. The human component of
the Herculoids team must deal with alien life forms of all shapes and sizes,
so it would make sense that they understand that some animals are “dangerous” because
they want to survive, not because they are malicious.

The
second Space Ghost story in this hour is “Planet of the Space Monkeys.” While Uglar enters the Milky Way galaxy
causing trouble, Blip runs away from home and visit a planet of space
monkeys. This story features the series’
first cross-over as Elektra helps Space Ghost take care of Uglar, who is “playing
in our galaxy” for a change.

In
“Will the Real Mr. Galaxy Please Stand Up,” an Astro and the Space Mutts
installment, Space Ace traces a robbery at First Galaxy Bank back to Muscle
Beach Moon. There, Space Ace must enter a beauty contest. The less said about this one, the
better.

And
the finale this week -- “Polaris” -- sees Space Ghost needing the help of the Teen
Force once more, when he plunges through a space warp.

1 comment:

Yeah the Firebird was a mommy i guess its egg wasnt in the lava where it could hatch Iggo the rock ape crried it into the lva where it did hatch and a cute little baby firebird is born and with his mommy

About John

award-winning author of 27 books including Horror Films FAQ (2013), Horror Films of the 1990s (2011), Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), TV Year (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007), Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair (2006),, Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company (2004), The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (2004), An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith (2002), The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film & Television (2004), Exploring Space:1999 (1997), An Analytical Guide to TV's Battlestar Galactica (1998), Terror Television (2001), Space:1999 - The Forsaken (2003) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002).

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What the Critics Say...

"...some of the best writing about the genre has been done by John Kenneth Muir. I am particularly grateful to him for the time and attention he's paid to things others have overlooked, under-appreciated and often written off. His is a fan's perspective first, but with a critic's eye to theme and underscore, to influence and pastiche..." - Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, in the foreword to Horror Films FAQ (October 2013).

"Hands down, John Kenneth Muir is one of the finest critics and writers working today. His deep analysis of contemporary American culture is always illuminating and insightful. John's film writing and criticism is outstanding and a great place to start for any budding writer, but one should also examine his work on comic books, TV, and music. His weighty catalog of books and essays combined with his significant blog production places him at the top of pop culture writers. Johns work is essential in understanding the centrality of culture in modern society." - Professor Bob Batchelor, cultural historian and Executive Director of the James Pedas Communication Center at Thiel College (2014).

"...an independent film scholar, [Muir] explains film studies concepts in a language that is reader-friendly and engaging..." (The Hindu, 2007)"...Muir's genius lies in his giving context to the films..." (Choice, 2007)